LOS ANGELES -- January 2, 2008 -- A study published in the January 1 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association shows that even short-term use of common oral bisphosphonates may leave the jaw vulnerable to devastating necrosis.
Parish Sedghizadeh, University of Southern California, School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, California, and colleagues sought to investigate the relationship between oral bisphosphonate use and osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ).
The study included 208 healthy patients from the School of Dentistry. After controlling for referral bias, 9 of the 208 patients who take or have taken alendronate sodium (Fosamax) for any length of time were diagnosed with ONJ.
The study's results are in contrast to drug makers' prior assertions that bisphosphonate-related ONJ risk is only noticeable with intravenous use of the drugs, not oral usage, said Sedghizadeh. "We've been told that the risk with oral bisphosphonates is negligible, but 4% is not negligible."
The danger is especially pronounced with procedures that directly expose the jaw bone, such as tooth extractions and other oral surgery.
Sedghizadeh hopes to have other researchers confirm his findings and thus encourage more doctors and dentists to talk with patients about the oral health risks associated with the widely used drugs.
The results confirm the suspicions of many in the oral health field, he said. "Here at the School of Dentistry we're getting 2 or 3 new patients a week that have bisphosphonate-related ONJ," he said, "and I know we're not the only ones seeing it."
SOURCE: University of Southern California
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